A little bookstore romance
by meeka-eela
Summary: Nezumi. Books. And oblivious love.


**University is killing my creative side so here, have this silly one-shot.**

**No.6 AU where no one leaves/dies/rips my heart out.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>A little bookstore romance.<span>**

On the corner of Dickens road and Shakespeare drive, there was a quaint little bookstore that provided jobs to the town's college students during the semester breaks.  
>Unsurprisingly, very few students wanted to work in a dusty little bookstore. Unless they really loved being surrounded by books, like Nezumi; wanted to provide a helping hand, like Shion; or just really needed the money, like Inukashi.<p>

Needless to say, these three didn't exactly get along.  
>Shion was too trusting.<br>Nezumi didn't trust at all.  
>And Inukashi kept bringing stray dogs into the store.<br>But, somehow, over the course of a few weeks, they had learned to work together and had even began to form, dare we say it… friendships. Some friendships stronger than others.

**Xxx**

"Hi."  
>Inukashi looked up from the book she had been reading to glare at Shion. He, of course, replied to her glare with an unguarded smile and a wave as he set his bag down at the counter next to her so that he could start his shift.<p>

Inukashi got back to her book.

"Is Nezumi coming in today?" Shion asked, blissfully unaware that he asked this question every day. And blissfully unaware of the connotations of this fact.

"I don't know. Maybe. Stop talking to me, I'm trying to read."

Shion frowned.

"Okay. I guess I'll go set up or the afternoon reading session."

He left when he received no response.

**Xxx**

It was four o'clock, which meant that there was a gang of children eagerly gathered around Shion as he read to them.  
>Four o'clock was also the time that Nezumi stood around the store and tried his bed to pretend that he wasn't listening intently to every word that Shion read.<br>And Shion tried his best to pretend that he wasn't reading just for Nezumi.

Today Shion was reading from the Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets, continuing on from where he had left off in the last reading session.  
>Shion was amazing at building up suspense, or dropping his voice to bring out the sadness in a scene and Nezumi had watched him so often that he could practically close his eyes and see exactly what Shion's face looked like as he read out passages in the book, and the smile that would don his lips when he read something funny out loud.<p>

But this, of course, meant nothing.

**Xxx**

"We spend too much time together."

Shion frowned; hurt starting to show in his eyes.

"Do you not like spending time with me?"

"That's not what I said," Nezumi replied, firmly, "I said that we spend too much time together. Why do you even want to spend time with me?"

Shion shrugged, a gentle smile playing at his lips.

"I'm drawn to you."

**Xxx**

Inukashi sighed. It was Thursday. And Thursday meant that Shion was reading to the neighbourhood children. Which meant that Nezumi was watching Shion read to the neighbourhood children. Which meant that she was manning the cash register alone.

At least Nezumi drifted over to her sometimes to give the impression that he was actually working.

"You know," she said to him; on one of the rare occasions that he was actually close enough to the cash register that she didn't have to raise her voice for him to hear her.

"Hmm?" Nezumi replied, his attention completely on Shion.

"It's sad how you're in love with him, and he's in love with you, and it's like a goddamn tragedy." She laughed, "Because you look at him and see the stars, and he looks at you and sees the sun. And you both think the other is just looking at the ground."

"Y-you… noticed?"

"I think you two idiots are the only ones who haven't noticed."

**Xxx**

It was closing time when Nezumi walked up to Shion, handing him his scarf and jacket.

Shion beamed, and accepted his items with clothing with a cheery 'Thanks!'

"Shion."

"Hmm?"

Nezumi could feel his cheeks flush with colour as he looked at his feet.

"Would you like to… go get a cup of coffee with me?"

"Oh, we haven't had coffee together in ages, it'll be fun!"

"No," Nezumi could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he forced his words out, "I meant… as a date. Would you like to go get a cup of coffee with me. As a date."

He still had his gaze glued to the ground, but he could feel a hand enclose his own and fingers intertwine with his.

"Yes. I would love to."


End file.
